On the Parenting of Baby Dragons
by wordsurfer
Summary: Aithusa can be very naughty.
1. Lesson 1: No Healing of Evil Witches

A/N: Um, I'm not really sure how this happened... There might be more to the story. I'm not sure yet.

On the Parenting of Baby Dragons

It was nearly dark when Aithusa returned home to find Kilgarrah sitting outside the cave entrance, an angry but relieved expression on his face.

"Where have you been for the past couple of hours? It's bad enough wondering where Merlin is, but to have to worry about you too…"

Aithusa snorted and lowered his head, unwilling to look at his adoptive father. "There was a woman in the forest, he explained. She was hurt, so I healed her."

"Describe the woman."

"Erm, she was wearing a black, ragged dress. Her hair was dark and messy, and she had a lot of coloring around her eyes."

"AITHUSA!" thundered Kilgarrah. "That was the witch, Morgana. She will bring nothing but destruction, and she ought to have died."

Aithusa hung his head even lower. "You've been very naughty," continued the Great Dragon. "I have no choice but to give you a time out." Aithusa whimpered his protest, but Kilgarrah would not listen. "Go and sit in the naughty corner until I say that you can come out."

The baby slunk off to the corner of the cave sullenly, and sat. "And no deer hunting for you for a week!" Kilgarrah shouted after him.


	2. Lesson 2: How to Dispense Useless Advice

Aithusa swooped into the clearing outside his cave one day to find a young man sitting impatiently near the entrance, fiddling with a golden candlestick. Seeing the dragon, the man scrambled to his feet and bowed.

"My name is Thomas, my lord." He held out the candlestick. "This is for you."

Aithusa took it delicately with his tail, puzzled. "Why?" he asked.

Thomas swallowed. "I was told that if I were to bring a dragon a gift, it would grant me a favour."

Aithusa had heard of no such rule, but was in a good mood after a successful hunt, and it was quite a shiny candlestick. "And what is it that you want?" he questioned the man.

"I lost a leather pouch that holds some pressed flowers. It usually sits on a table by my bed, but I've looked all over for it and it's nowhere, and I really need it because my betrothed made it for me, and she's coming to visit tonight," Thomas blurted out in a rush. "Please, you have to help me find it," he begged.

"Ah," said Aithusa, settling into a posture that he knew made him look wise because Kilgarrah had made him practice it in front of a lake for several hours, and reviewing in his mind all of the vague and useless suggestions that his father had made him memorize.

"I believe that this is not so much a physical quest as a spiritual one," he said finally.

"…what?"

"You must look within yourself to find what you seek."

"That's really not helpful at all. And I did give you a very nice gift. It was a family heirloom"

"Nevertheless, it is the truth. Now go, and check under your bed again. It probably got knocked over and rolled underneath."

"Okay," the man said, disappointed. He walked off, shoulders hunched angrily.

From his hiding spot behind a large boulder on the other side of the clearing, Kilgarrah smiled with pride. His son was growing up so well.


	3. Lesson 3: Interacting with Other Species

Aithusa approached the stream carefully. He was still only a baby, really, and his flame was still somewhat unpredictable, and you never knew what exciting and dangerous creatures could be hiding near a water source hoping for unsuspecting prey.

Unfortunately, the most dangerous animal present turned out to be a small rabbit nibbling on the grass near the edge of the water. Aithusa decided to practice his stealth skills by trying to sneak up on it, flapping his wings slightly to prevent him from stepping heavily on any twigs. His trick did not work very well, though, since the rabbit suddenly wiggled its nose, pricked its ears up and froze, then turned to glare at him. "Bugger," Aithusa muttered to himself.

"Were you trying to sneak up on me?" it asked. "Because if you were, that was pathetic."

"Hey!" exclaimed Aithusa, offended. "I thought I was doing well."

"I could hear you breathing all the way at the edge of the trees. Plus your wings make noise when you flap them, and you smell."

"I don't smell!" the dragon exclaimed indignantly.

"Yeah, you do. Of ashes and gold."

That was probably true, Aithusa realized, but refused to give the rabbit, which was fast becoming his nemesis, the satisfaction of admitting it. "Well, I didn't need to sneak up on you anyways," he said huffily instead. "I could have just flamed you from over there."

"Sure, you could have." If rabbits could shrug, it would probably have done so at this point. "But you didn't."

Aithusa made a face at it, and slunk sulkily over to the stream. He dunked his head under for a moment, then slurped up a huge quantity of water, hoping that his tormenter would be gone by the time he stopped. It wasn't.

"What do you want?" he asked the rabbit irritably.

"Nothing," it said.

"Then why are you still here?"

"It's fun annoying you. My brothers and sisters are far too used to me by now."

Aithusa drew himself up to his comparably considerate height. "I don't need to listen to you. I'm a dragon," he announced proudly. When it didn't seem terribly impressed, he continued, "and you're just a rabbit."

Interestingly, that got the small animal upset. "I'm not a rabbit!" it growled at him. "I'm a hare."

"There's a difference?" Aithusa asked, confused.

"Oh, there are _so_ many. For one thing, rabbits are all idiots." It composed itself, then sneered at him. "But I'm not going to start listing them for you. You don't strike me as being any more intelligent than they are."

Aithusa was furious. "I could eat you," he warned.

"Why?" asked the hare. "It's not like I would make much of a meal for you. You're just proving my point."

"Yeah, but it's the principle of it…" the dragon trailed off. In defiance of all logic, he found himself liking the little hare. It wasn't friendly by any stretch of the imagination, but it was interacting with him at least. Most animals tended to run away when he appeared. Besides, he reasoned to himself, he really only had Kilgarrah to talk to, and while his father certainly cared for him, it had been thousands of years since he'd been young and excited by the world.

"My name's Aithusa," he offered. Then he added, so that the hare wouldn't think he was just giving in, "It was given to me by a Dragonlord."

"Mine's Wynne," answered the rabbit. "It was given to me by my parents."

"Nice to meet you, Wynne," said Aithusa.

The hare gave him an assessing glance. "Yeah," she said. "Nice to meet you too."


	4. Lesson 4: Shipping Merlin and Arthur

Kilgarrah was sunning himself lazily on a rock outside their cave, Aithusa curled up beside him, when he saw Merlin approaching slowly, a sour look on his face.

Still, the sorcerer greeted the dragons pleasantly enough. "Kilgarrah!" he exclaimed. "Aithusa!"

"What is the trouble, young warlock?" Kilgarrah asked.

Merlin scowled. "Is it that obvious?"

"Whenever you come to see us you have a problem," Kilgarrah answered.

"Oh," said the sorcerer, guiltily.

"So what is it?" prompted the dragon.

"It's Arthur." Once he'd started, the words didn't seem to be able to stop pouring out of Merlin. "I just wish that he'd take me seriously once in awhile. I've saved his life so many times, but he still thinks I'm just a bumbling idiot. And he doesn't listen to my advice unless he wants to, and he still treats me like a servant, not a friend, even after everything we've been through together, and…"

"That is indeed a difficult problem," Kilgarrah interrupted. "I will let Aithusa help you. He has learned much, but it is time for his wisdom to be tested." Merlin's mouth twisted as though he was unsure whether to be upset or to laugh.

The younger dragon, though, looked up at his father in alarm. "Dispensing aggravating and vague advice is one thing," he whispered, "But guiding Merlin and Arthur on their path towards eternal love? I don't think I can do it."

"You'll be fine," Kilgarrah assured the younger dragon. "I've trained you well- you know what to say."

Aithusa frowned, remembering his lessons and all of the coaching that Kilgarrah had given him in order to prepare him for the difficult task of convincing Merlin that Arthur wasn't a complete prat, as he carefully thought of an answer.

"You and Arthur have already accomplished much, but your future together will be even greater," he announced, finally. "Do not give up hope."

"It's hard not to, when he treats me that way."

"I know," Aithusa assured him. "But that is simply the way that things must be for now. Soon, you may find everything that you seek."

"I'm tired of waiting," Merlin complained.

"Patience," the dragon reminded him.

Merlin sighed. "I know. It's just hard sometimes. Thanks for your advice."

"You are welcome, ancient one."

Merlin looked at him curiously, angst momentarily forgotten. "Ancient one? Kilgarrah always calls me 'young warlock.'"

"I'm eight months old," Aithusa shrugged. "To me you're ancient."

Merlin laughed, his previous ill temper completely dispersed. He said his goodbyes to both dragons, and set off through the forest back to Camelot.

Aithusa waited until the sorcerer was out of sight before turning to his father and bouncing up and down. "Well? How did I do, Dad?" he asked excitedly.

Kilgarrah smiled down at the young one. "Very well indeed," he answered happily.


End file.
